ATP Series
Research supports the many possible benefits of standing for wheelchair users. The next challenge: To get funding sources to buy in.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jun 01, 2014
Are We Asking the Right Questions When Evaluating Ultralightweight Manual Chairs?
Frame weight is a popular talking point when it comes to ultralightweight wheelchair discussions...but should it be the priority in the decision-making process?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- May 01, 2014
ATP Series
Today's Power Chairs Are Expected to Do It All — But How Will They Keep Up with Consumers' Powerful Demands?
The demands on power wheelchairs are greater than ever: They're expected to provide not only mobility, but also power to positioning systems, communications systems, respiratory equipment and consumer electronics. How are these demands impacting power chair designs... and what will come next?
ATP Series
Is It Friend or Foe? How the Forces of Gravity Can Impact Seating for Worse...& Better
The forces that can pull clients out of functional positions and exacerbate fatigue and
discomfort can also be harnessed to create seating & positioning solutions. PLUS: What
to check for at your next eval.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Apr 01, 2014
Pediatrics Series
We Cheer the Benefits of Independent Mobility for Young Children. But Does Dependent Mobility Get a Bad Rap?
The benefits of independent pediatric mobility are many, but what role can caregiver-propelled mobility play in the life of very young children? Is there room for both technologies to co-exist?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Apr 01, 2014
ATP Series
RESNA's Specialty Certification Recognizes the True Seating & Mobility Expert. Are You Up to the Challenge?
RESNA's Seating & Mobility Specialist (SMS) certification is designed to recognize those professionals truly focused on complex rehab technology solutions. Are you ready to take the plunge?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Mar 01, 2014
ATP Series
A Seating & Mobility Evaluation May Start with Taking Client Measurements -- But That's Only the Beginning
The right set of client measurements in the hands of the right seating & mobility experts can lead to a great outcome. What measurements are the most important to obtain? The most difficult to obtain? And why?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Mar 01, 2014
Automotive Access Special
Educating Both Consumers & Policy Makers Will Remain a Top Priority in 2014
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Feb 01, 2014
Seating & Positioning Series
Combining Best Practices with Best Strategies to Create Real-Life Pressure Relief
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Feb 01, 2014
Funding Series
Ultralights Can Maximize Consumers' Independence, but First, ATPs and Clinicians Have to Make Their Case
Clinically, K0005 wheelchairs can offer clients a wealth of benefits, from improved
propulsion efficiency to less wear on upper extremities over a lifetime of use. But how do you get payors to agree? Here's how to turn your observations, measurements and
data into a claim that gets paid!
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jan 01, 2014
Pediatrics Series
Do Kids Need to Be Ready for Independent Mobility? Or Does Independent Mobility Make Them Ready?
Are there prerequisite skills for very young children who could be candidates for power mobility? Should there be?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jan 01, 2014
Funding
While the Current Landscape Resembles Rocks & Hard Places, Separate Benefit Category Bills Bring Hope
As the year draws to a close, the CRT community anticipates a new face-to-face requirement for DME, waits for word on capped rentals, and pins its ultimate hopes on a separate benefit category for Medicare.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Nov 01, 2013
Retail Mobility
Funding Cuts, Audits & Competitive Bidding: Is This Still a Profitable Product Segment?
With all of Medicare's funding challenges, is consumer mobility -- particularly scooters and consumer power chairs -- still a viable profit center?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Oct 01, 2013
ATP Series
How Lower-Extremity Positioning Can Impact More Than Just Legs & Feet
Identifying lower-extremity positioning challenges and solutions can give wheelchair users the best mobility experiences possible.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Aug 01, 2013
Tomorrow's Power Chairs
Power Chair Components of Today and the Future Focus on One Thing: Making Every Day Better
As funding sources and consumers demand more from their complex rehab power chairs, the industry answers with new features, new adaptability and new possibilities.
- By Elisha Bury
- Aug 01, 2013
Pediatrics Series
Understanding the Challenges of Mobilizing Clients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta
For clients with OI — aka, Brittle Bone disease — everyday actions as simple as transferring from one surface to another can be dangerous. And the challenges can carry over to the clinicians and providers working to assess and meet their mobility needs.
- By Elisha Bury
- Jul 01, 2013
Clinicians & ATPs Name Their CRT Favorites
ATPs and clinicians reveal the innovative, creative, hard-working seating & mobility products they choose to help solve their toughest cases.
ATP Series
Determining the Cause of Poor Head Positioning Is Difficult...& Critical to Overall Seating Success
Poor head positioning can cause problems with a wheelchair user's visual field, speech, eating and other critical functions. But the reasons for poor head positioning can be complex -- as are the potential solutions.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jun 01, 2013
Wheelchairs & Funding
With the Manual Chair Miscellaneous Code Eliminated This Month, Industry Experts Worry About Access
From the elimination of the K0009 HCPCS code to ongoing funding challenges, the ultralightweight wheelchair niche is in evolution. What does that mean for consumers and the next generation of manual wheelchair technology?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jun 01, 2013
ATP Series
When a Seating Client Appears “Fixed,” How Should the Rehab Team Respond?
Fixed postures or deformities present unique challenges to ATPs and clinicians. When
should seating systems intervene? When should they accommodate and "meet clients
where they are"?
- By Missy Ball
- May 01, 2013